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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — music
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. march — the month
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. toast — bread
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — to get on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a committee
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com